A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (December 14, 2016)
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)
In the beginning, Jesus was with God. At the time of creation, He was there. Everything that was made was made through Him and then to make the point as clear as possible, the Word tells us that nothing was created without it being created by Jesus (John 1:1-3).
Then in the fullness of time, Jesus came to earth and conquered the darkness that had overtaken it. The Bible says that the Light, Jesus, came to earth and the darkness in the earth, Satan, did not overpower Him. Jesus became the victor. He became our champion. Jesus defeated the prince of darkness and took back the authority that Adam had surrendered through his disobedience to God (Genesis 3).
Jesus then made a public display of the demonic powers: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15). Satan and his demonic hosts were not only defeated, but they were humiliated publicly.
Satan is the most prideful being in existence. He has done and is doing all he can to cover his tracks. Jesus said in John 8:44 that Satan is a liar. Like most liars, when he gets caught doing something wrong, he blames someone else. Guilt and condemnation are tools of the devil. He reminds me of a criminal who tries to get as many others implicated in the crime as possible.
Now, here’s the point. When Jesus came to earth as a man, He was executed and buried. Although He was buried and in the grave, He overcame death and came back to life on the third day. By doing this, He defeated Satan and made a way of escape for you and for me. All we have to do is accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Satan, on the other hand, will do everything within his power to blind the eyes of the lost so they will not accept Jesus. For the Christian, however, Satan has a special plan. He knows that one Spirit-filled Christian, hearing and doing the Word, can deal a severe blow to his kingdom. He knows he only has one hope and that is to confuse and distract Christians. When we become distracted from the Word, then our faith is in peril. God loves faith, but Satan hates it and he will try to destroy it anyway he can.
Now, here’s the good news. We do not have to listen to the lies and deception of Satan. Jesus defeated him. Romans 8:37 says that as Christians we are “more than conquerors through [Jesus] who loved us.” So when Satan attacks you with guilt and condemnation, just remember that he is a liar and he is defeated. Jesus conquered him and we who are in Christ are more than conquerors!
